IELTS
Speaking Test: Key Facts

Duration:
Between 11 and 14 minutes.Participants: Candidates interviewed individually. The
test is recorded.Format: The test consists of three parts.

Part
1 (Interview)

Part 1
of the IELTS Speaking test lasts between 4 and 5 minutes. The
examiner will ask some simple 'getting-to-know-you' questions
which will help the examiner find out a little about you and help
put you at ease. These will be general questions such as about
your family, your studies, where you come from or what your interests
are.

Example
Questions

Q:
Where are you from?Q: Why are you studying English?Q: Have you visited any English speaking countries?Q: Do you play any sports?

Tips!

Giving full,
relevant answers to the examiner's questions will help get the interview off to
a good start.

1)
Avoid giving short, uncommunicative replies. Q: Where are you from?A:
I'm from Hoorn in the Netherlands. (Don't stop there!) It's about 35
kilometers north of Amsterdam. It's a modern city but with a lot of history and
a lovely place to live.

2)
Avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers to closed questions. (These are questions beginning
'Have you ...', 'Do you ...', 'Is it ...' etc which can be answered simply with
a yes or no answer).Q: Have you visited any English speaking countries?A:
Yes. (Don't stop there!) I went to England last year and spent two weeks
seeing the sights. A couple of years ago I went to New York with my parents and
had a great time. Q: Do you play any sports?A: No. (Don't
stop there!) I'm not really interested in playing sports. I like watching
sport on TV and I really enjoyed keeping up with the Olympics recently.

3) Offer examples
to help you explain a statement.
Q: Why are you preparing for the IELTS exam?
A: Because I need it for my studies. (Don't stop there!) I've been
offered a place at a university in England to study on an MBA but I
need to show my level of English is good enough.

Part
2 (Long Turn)

Part
2 of the IELTS Speaking test lasts between 3 and 4 minutes (including 1 minute
preparation time). The examiner gives you a task card and you have to speak about
the subject without interruption for between 1 and 2 minutes.

Example
Task

Example
1) Describe a place you have visited that you have fond memories of.

You
should say:

where this waswhy you went therewhat you did thereand
what it was about the place that makes it so memorable.

Example 2) Describe
your favourite personal possession.

You should say:

what this possession
iswhen you first got itwhen you use itand why it's so important to
you.

Tips!

1.
Use your 1 minute preparation time wisely and make notes of the points you'd like
to make.

2. The
question will help you with the structure of your talk. The introduction can include
the item itself and maybe a brief description. The main body of your talk could
describe the situation when you acquired the object and go on to explain when
you use it. You can then end with an explanation of why the object is so important.

3. Try to avoid
giving a very dry, unimaginative introduction such as 'The object I'm going
to describe is ....'. Get your talk off to a memorable start with something
on the lines of: 'If I was about to lose everything and could only save one
thing it would be my ...', or 'I've got several things that mean a lot
to me but the one that really stands out is my ...'

4. If you're
concerned about not having enough to talk about for 1 to 2 minutes or
running out of time before you've finished, the answer is to practise
as often as possible. Time yourself and ask a friend for feedback.

Part
3: (Two-Way Discussion)

In
Part 3 of the test, which lasts between 3 to 4 minutes, the examiner will ask
you questions linked to the topic in Part 2.

Example
Questions (Based on example topics in Part 2 above)

Q:
It is sometimes argued that local cultures are being destroyed by tourism.
Why do think people might feel this?Q: What benefits do people get
from travelling to other countries?Q: Do you think people are becoming
too materialistic?Q: To what extent are people's buying habits affected
by advertising?

Tips!

1.
If you need time to collect your thoughts use expressions (sparingly) like: 'That's
a good question.', 'Well, let me think ...'.

2.
Don't forget to avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers. Try to offer examples to back
up a statement.

3.
Help make your contributions memorable. Try explaining a point using a short,
personal anecdote.

4.
If the examiner asks a question that you don't understand, take control of the
situation with questions such as those that appear below. Responding like this
will show evidence of your communication skills.

A) If the examiner uses
a word or phrase that you don't understand, say something like:"Sorry
but could you explain what you mean by ........" or"I haven't
come across that word/expression before. Could you explain what you mean?"

B)
If you simply didn't hear something that was asked, respond with:"Excuse
me, I didn't quite catch that. Could you say that again?""I'm
sorry, but would you mind repeating that?"

C)
If you want to make sure you've understood what the examiner has asked you could
say:"Do you mean ........""When you say ........,
do you mean/are you asking ........?

Would you like more help like
this?

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These
guides have been published by the Splendid Speaking team to help students and
teachers who would like to know more about the IELTS Speaking test. This guide
is made available for information only and should not be seen as official advice.
Splendid Learning, a division of Flo-Joe, will not be held liable for any consequences
arising from the use of this guide. For more information about the IELTS exam
please visit the Cambridge ESOL website at www.cambridgeesol.org